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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28947954">the sun rises in your eyes</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/thir13enth/pseuds/thir13enth'>thir13enth</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, You know what I mean, book 3 stuff, canonverse, honestly kinda more like a self study, i just had to think thoughts out loud, post-the southern raiders episode</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:53:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,247</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28947954</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/thir13enth/pseuds/thir13enth</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>She's the most powerful bender he knows.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Katara/Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>96</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>the sun rises in your eyes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hello friendos. it's been a decade but once again, i am here in zutara land. a warm up, then, if you will:</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After days of flying to find the Southern Raiders and nights of more flying to find Yon Rha, Zuko falls into his sleeping mat excruciatingly tired.</p><p>And yet he can hardly sleep that evening.</p><p>
  <em>But I am ready to forgive you.</em>
</p><p>To forgive <em>you</em> — her voice echoes in his head like a mantra. One he can inhale, exhale like a clear breath in the morning after a nighttime of rain.</p><p>She’s ready to forgive him, he thinks to himself. She acknowledged him, embraced him, even <em>smiled </em>at him.</p><p>Briefly, Zuko wonders how it’d feel for her to finally trust him, but he imagines it would feel just as good, if not a hundred times better.</p><p>But is it wrong to feel so good about this? Aang was right, after all. Everything with Yon Rha eventually worked out in the end, but things could have also gone very far south. Anything could have happened — and Zuko can think of many outcomes that Katara might regret for the rest of her life.</p><p>Honestly, Zuko isn’t sure how she’s forgiven him when he so easily led her down that path, stoking her anger and prompting her by telling her about the Southern Raiders, but he nevertheless can’t help the warm bubble that rises in his chest when he remembers her words.</p><p>He has to apologize, he thinks to himself. Tomorrow, he promises himself. First thing when he sees her.</p><p>And so, he attempts rest once again, flipping to the other side, then again. His eyes stay wide open, however, and through the small slit of his tent opening, he sees the moon taunting him.</p><p>The moon is not a complete circle tonight, a sliver around its bottom corner hiding in the night sky. Still, it looks as beautiful as it did last night when full — its face beautiful and flawless nevertheless.</p><p>His legs grow restless, and Zuko finally rises, deciding to give up on sleep for the time being. He slips out of his tent and quietly makes his way through the cluster of everyone else’s tents. He spots their campfire pit at the center, long extinguished without even a wisp of white smoke lifting from the coals.</p><p>It must be late.</p><p>Zuko scans the horizon, looking over the dark ocean, then squints at the small figure he sees at the very end of the pier.</p><p>Katara.</p><p>He thinks he can identify her from any distance. There was, after all, a time earlier in his life when all he saw of her was her flying further and further away, escaping from his reach. But that was a long time ago, when all he saw in the mirror was the scar over his left eye and the shadow of his father’s disappointed frown. He’s in a better place now, of course, but he never forgets how close that past is to him.</p><p>Right. He has to apologize, he reminds himself.</p><p>There isn’t a better time than now. Everyone else is asleep, and the world is quiet. He can think more coherently in this peace, and his words come out unfettered.</p><p>He steps to her direction. Her outline clears as he approaches and as his eyes adjust to the soft moonlight overhead. He stops just before the wood planks of the pier, watching her quietly.</p><p>She sits with her knees tucked into her chest, hugging herself. She looks serene and calm, but the turmoil simmering in her mind is palpable, even from his distance.</p><p>A late night breeze passes, and her ends of her hair flip unpredictably in the wind.</p><p>When he sees it, he can’t help but think: She looks like an incoming storm.</p><p>Intimidating. Powerful.</p><p>He can feel his feet hesitate as he approaches her, but if there’s anything he’s learned in life, it’s that he shouldn’t hold back when he needs to say sorry.</p><p>“Can we talk?” he blurts.</p><p>Her head turns back to look at him. If she’s surprised to see him there, her face makes no note of it. Wordless, she turns her face back to the sky, and that’s as good enough of an invitation to him to join her.</p><p>He takes a seat next to her, gently lowering himself down to her left. As he settles, he looks up at her, watching her watch the moon. He notices she has a dark freckle on the shell of her ear, and he suddenly realizes — <em>he’s never been this close to her before</em>.</p><p>Suddenly, his voice falls back into his throat. He takes a breath, his eyes snapping shut momentarily to psych himself up, then opens his mouth.  </p><p>“I—” he starts.</p><p>“I—” she starts.</p><p>He snaps his lips shut, as does she. Their eyes meet for a brief second, but then he looks away and she looks down at her knees.</p><p>“You go,” she says.</p><p>“No. You go first,” he urges.</p><p>“You’re the one that wanted to talk,” she replies.</p><p>“I... I forgot,” he admits. “I forgot what I wanted to say.”</p><p>He really did forget. He doesn’t know why but she seems to always take the words right out of him.</p><p>He looks up at her. “You go.”</p><p>She studies him for a moment, as if giving him extra time to think, then turns her eyes down, taking in a quick breath.</p><p>“I won’t do it again,” she says.</p><p>His eyebrows furrow. He has no idea what she’s talking about.</p><p>“Do what again?”</p><p>She looks at him forlornly. “You know,” she says, her voice growing smaller, almost dissipating into the wind and the sound of crashing waves. “You saw me do it.” And here, her voice is barely a whisper. “Bloodbend<em>.</em>”</p><p>He doesn’t know how to respond to that. After all, she’s right. He <em>did</em> see her bloodbend. He saw her contort the chi in another person’s body, and she controlled their every movement — stretched their limbs apart, threatening to push even further past those limits. Without a single word and barely a finger lifted, he saw her effortlessly place fear into an elite Fire Kingdom general with ten inches and twenty years on her. He saw her freeze the rain, hold thousands of drops of water in time and place.</p><p>She’s powerful. There is no denying that.</p><p>She tucks her face into her knees, her body becoming a tighter ball. “I won’t do it again,” she repeats.</p><p>She says it so softly, he’s not sure if she’s saying it for his sake or for her own.</p><p>He watches her for a moment, and he recognizes the shame on her face. He knows the look all too well — it’s one he thought he’d adorn forever.</p><p>“You know what you said not knowing if you were too weak to do it or strong enough not to?” he says. “I think that’s that you’re strong, <em>really</em> strong enough not to. You could have done anything you wanted with that power. But you were strong enough to know when to stop.”</p><p>After a long pause, she sighs.</p><p>“I don’t feel that strong,” she finally says.</p><p>“You are,” he reassures.</p><p>She gives him a doubtful frown, and he wishes he had something wiser to say, some metaphor like his uncle would make that doesn’t make sense but nonetheless is comforting to hear.</p><p>“I keep thinking about Hama,” Katara confesses then. She turns to him, explaining, “She’s the one that… taught me — well, forced me — to bloodbend. I didn’t want that power. I didn’t want to bloodbend, but she was hurting Aang and Sokka. I just remember feeling so desperate to save them and so mad at her that I would do anything, <em>even bloodbend</em>.</p><p>“After that, I vowed I was never going to bloodbend again — but when that Southern Raiders commander told me that he didn’t know who I was, I felt the very same desperation and anger like last time. And I did it. Again. Even when I promised myself that I wouldn’t.”</p><p>Zuko sees her hug herself tighter, her nails digging into her arms. “I think about Hama a lot still,” she continues. “I don’t think she wanted to bloodbend either. But she was forced to. She was captured and imprisoned for life. She <em>had</em> to bloodbend to live. She <em>had</em> to bloodbend because of the Fire Nation.” She looks at him, with tight lips. “And I guess the Fire Nation made me bloodbend too. I’m no different from Hama at all.”</p><p>She pauses for a moment, looking back down at the dark water.</p><p>“Honestly, I’m scared of myself,” she says. “I’m scared of what I can do, and I’m scared about the next time I <em>want </em>to do something, and I won’t be able to stop myself.”</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Zuko blurts then. This is exactly what he needed to apologize about.</p><p>She furrows her eyebrows. “What? No, what are you sorry about?”</p><p>“For leading you down this path,” he explains. “I didn’t have to tell you about the Southern Raiders. I put you in this situation.”</p><p>He hadn’t had to ask Sokka why Katara didn’t like him. In fact, he didn’t have to get involved at all. He had indulged her. He did this because he was selfish, because he wanted Katara to like him — and why he’s so desperate for her to like him, he <em>still</em> has no idea.</p><p>If not for Katara’s strength, she would have had Yon Rha’s blood on her hands — and that would be his fault because he led her straight to him.</p><p>“No, no, you shouldn’t be sorry,” she tells him, meeting his eyes. “I needed this. I need to learn from it. And actually… I wanted to thank you. You supported me, and you were at my side the entire way. I’m grateful for that.” After a moment, she adds, “I don’t know if anyone else would have been able to witness that side of me and still want anything to do with me.”</p><p>Zuko thinks for a moment, then chuckles softly. “Well, I don’t know if just anyone would be able to forgive me after I spent the half year trying to capture them,” he teases. “Let alone for being Prince of the Fire Nation.”</p><p>A grin cracks over her lips, and she casts sideways look at him. “You really test my limits at times.”</p><p>Seeing her smile makes his heart skip a beat. He lets it settle, swallowing down the flutter in his chest.</p><p>“You’re a powerful bender, you know,” he tells her then.</p><p>Her eyes suddenly flicker at those words. Strange, he doesn’t expect that.</p><p>“A powerful bender, huh?” she asks, turning to him.</p><p>“Yeah,” he repeats. “A <em>really</em> powerful bender.”</p><p>Her smile widens. “Well, I think you’re a really powerful bender too.”</p><p>He shrugs. “I don’t know. I can’t shoot lightning out of my palms or anything.”</p><p>She giggles — if he can call that sound she’s making a giggle at all.</p><p>“Why is that so funny?” he asks.</p><p>She cups her mouth with her hand, waving him off. “Oh, it’s nothing. Just reminded of what someone told me about my future.”</p><p>He arches an eyebrow curiously. “Like a fortuneteller or something?”</p><p>“Mm… something like that,” she says, pressing her lips together.</p><p>“You actually believe in that stuff?”</p><p>Her eyes widen, as if caught guilty. “No, no,” she denies, cheeks flushing. “I know no one can <em>actually </em>predict the future! It’s just for fun!”</p><p>She says this but Zuko has a feeling that Katara secretly pays extra attention to oracles and tea leaf readings.</p><p>“You do,” he insists. “I know you do.”</p><p>“No, I don’t!” She laughs out loud, giving him a gentle shove. Her body unfolds now, and she drapes her feet over the edge of their pier, leaning back against her hands.</p><p>He chuckles. “Just admit it! There’s nothing to be ashamed of, Katara.”</p><p>“I already told you, it’s just for fun!”</p><p>Their laughter falters after a bit, and Zuko’s lips tighten as the silence subsides over them again.</p><p>“Anyway, I’m still sorry,” he says. “For putting you in that situation.”</p><p>She suddenly reaches out, her hand covering his. He thinks his heart could have stopped right then and there, if not for the fact that he hears it beating loud in his ears, echoing hard in his head, warmth climbing to his cheeks.</p><p>“I don’t know why you keep apologizing,” she laughs. “You must be so used to just apologizing for everything. You’re overcompensating.”</p><p>Maybe there’s some truth to that, but for now, Zuko prefers not to think too hard on it.</p><p>“Well,” he jokes, “Up until yesterday, I thought you hated my guts.”</p><p>“Really though. I’m serious,” she tells him, looking off to the distance. Her hand withdraws from his, and already his hand grows cold. “I think it was for the better we did all this. If we had never done this, I would have carried this… hole in my heart forever. I didn’t do anything, and I haven’t felt any better after seeing Yon Rha with my eyes, but somehow I feel… more at ease.” She pauses here, thinking. “I learned a lot about myself.”</p><p>Then she looks up to meet his eyes. “And I learned a lot about you, too.”</p><p>His voice is suddenly trapped in his throat.</p><p>Why is it that she always takes the words right out of his mouth?</p><p>“I… I learned a lot about you too,” he finally gets out.</p><p>She smiles at him then, and he thinks he can see the sun in her eyes.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>you know where to find me: <a href="ahumanintraining.tumblr.com">tumblr</a>  &amp; <a href="https://www.twitter.com/napsbeforesleep">twitter</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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